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Road safety challenges in Pakistan: an overview

Article  in  Journal of Transportation Security · December 2016

DOI: 10.1007/s12198-016-0172-3

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J Transp Secur
DOI 10.1007/s12198-016-0172-3

Road safety challenges in Pakistan: an overview

Ejaz Nazir 1 & Faisal Nadeem 1 & Simon Véronneau 1

Received: 7 January 2016 / Accepted: 26 June 2016

# Springer Science+Business Media New York (outside the USA) 2016

Abstract Pakistan’s location provides economic advantage for freight transportation from
the Indian Ocean to Afghanistan, China, and the Central Asian States. In late 1970s,
Pakistan shifted focus from railway to roadway as the major mode of transportation. This
policy shift introduced heavy vehicles for which highways were not designed. In late
1990s, migration to urban areas increased congestion on Pakistan’s highways. In early
2000s, the economic sanctions on Pakistan were lifted in exchange for cooperation with the
war on terrorism. The global war on terrorism also increased freight transportation from
Pakistan to Afghanistan which supported ISAF forces. The military freight, urbanization,
motorization, and congestion increased risk to road users. The World Health Organization
reported 25,000–30,000 annual deaths on Pakistan’s roads. This paper reflects upon
strategic national issues including war on terrorism. To reduce road congestion, Pakistan
must revise national transportation policy and split traffic volume into different modes.

Keywords Road safety . Pakistan . Motorization . Urbanization in emerging economies .

Military logistics impact on infrastructures

Introduction

Pakistan is a middle-income country with a considerably high rate of road traffic

casualties. In 2013, the World Health Organization reported 5,192 deaths per 100,000
in Pakistan (World Health Organization 2013). With a 95 % confidence level, the report
estimated 26,751–33,510 annual deaths in Pakistan. In subsequent sections, we will
discuss causes of Pakistan’s high number of casualties. We provide an overview of
transportation infrastructure, its role in a country’s economic development, and impacts

The views expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position
of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.

* Simon Véronneau
sveronne@nps.edu

1
Graduate School of Business and Public Policy, Naval Postgraduate School, 555 Dyer Road,
Monterey, CA 93943, USA
 E. Nazir et al.

of an unhealthy transportation infrastructure. We will also provide an overview of

Pakistan: its geography, existing transportation network, and its evolution of transpor-
tation policy-making. On the whole, we attempt to analyze and evaluate road safety in
Pakistan. Lastly, we identify Pakistan’s hierarchical causes for its road problems and
recommend preventive and reactive strategies to improve its road safety.

Role and impact of transportation infrastructure

Transportation infrastructure plays a significant role in economic development and

defense of a country. In the United States during the Eisenhower era, a highway
network of interstate superhighways was envisioned and enacted by legislature as a
way to strengthen the defense of the U.S. The development of the interstate highway
network, however, helped the United States more in economic gains than in defense
(Coyle et al. 2011).
The infrastructure includes, but is not limited to, sound policies, regulations, a
multimodal network, and competent management for efficient and sustainable future
resources and economic growth. The transportation infrastructure needs to facilitate
safe transportation of goods and people from point-of-origin to destination. If absent, it
results in loss of human lives and economic loss to gross national product (GNP). In its
2013 global status report on road safety, the World Health Organization (WHO)
reported an annual loss of 1.24 million lives in road accidents around the globe
(World Health Organization 2013). The annual death figures have been consistent
since 2009, (See: WHO 2009) the time the WHO initiated its first report. The figures,
however, must be considered in the context that every year the number of registered
vehicles increases 15 %. The report further cites that Road Traffic Injuries (RTI) is the
eighth leading cause of deaths and it forecasts that it will be the fifth leading cause by
2030.
Over 90 % of road fatalities and RTIs occur in predominantly low- and middle-
income (LMI) countries. The variation in fatality rates of low-, middle-, and high-
income countries are shown in Table 1. In poor countries, low-income people are the
worst affected by RTIs. In most of the poor countries, families live in joint family
systems where many household members rely on income of a single or limited number
of family members. Their households are disproportionately disadvantaged due to direct
and indirect drain of resources from prolonged hospitalization, funeral costs, and
earnings lost while taking care of an injured or disabled household member (Geneva
2009). This worsens when the involved person is the only breadwinner of the family.

Table 1 Variation in fatalities rates of low-, middle-, and high-income countries

Income group Fatality rate GNP cost (%) Registered motor

per 100,000 U.S. $ 100 billion vehicles (%)

Low 18.3 1 1
Medium 20.1 2 52
High 8.7 47

Source: WHO (2013)

Road safety challenges in Pakistan: an overview

Pakistan background

Pakistan, located in South Asia, borders India in the east, China in the north, Iran in the
southwest, Afghanistan in the west, and Indian Ocean in the south. Its geographic location
positions it at a strategic advantage for freight transportation from the Indian Ocean in the
south to the energy-rich Central Asian States, war torn Afghanistan, and China in the north.
Pakistan spreads over an area of 796,096 square kilometers (sq. kms). Table 2 shows
Pakistan’s population and its provinces. In 2013, Pakistan was the sixth most populous
country in the world with a population of 184 million (Statistics 2014). The country is
distinctly divided into urban and rural areas. Table 3 shows the Urban and Rural split in
Pakistan. People from rural areas often travel to urban cities in search of employment,
education, and medical facilities. Their travelling is dependent upon Pakistan’s multi-
modal transportation infrastructure.
Pakistan’s transportation infrastructure is comprised of 7,791 kms of railway line;
151 and 43 airports with paved and unpaved runways, respectively; 16,000 kms of gas
and refined oil pipelines; and 262,256 kms of roadways (The World Fact Book 2013).
The roadways’ main highways connecting major cities are National Highways (9,555
kms), Asian Highways (5,352 kms), and Motorways (1,930 kms) (Rafiq 2014).
Although Pakistan’s transportation network Pakistan seems extensive, road traffic
fatality statistics released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics suggests the need for short-,
medium-, and long-term measures to make transportation of people and goods safe in
Pakistan. According to Pakistan’s Bureau of Statistics 2012–2013 report, between 2004
and 2013 there were a total of 38,056 fatalities and 49,157 nonfatal accidents in all
provinces of Pakistan in which 45,886 people were killed and 102,058 persons were
injured (Statistics 2012–2013). Details of persons killed and injured in traffic accidents
are shown in Figs. 1 and 2, respectively. The graphs show a downward trend of deaths
and injuries in Punjab and Sindh; whereas, the number of deaths and injuries seems to
be going upwards in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa and Baluchistan.
Table 4 shows Pakistan’s other road safety statistics based on the World Health
Organization’s 2013 report.

Table 2 Area, population, and density by administrative units

Administrative unit Area (sq. km) 1998 Population Population density

(per sq. km)
Number Percentage

Pakistan 796,096 132,352,279 100 166.3

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 74,521 17,743,645 13.41 238.1
FATA 27,220 3,176,331 2.4 116.7
Punjab 205,345 73,621,290 55.63 358.5
Sindh 140,914 30,439,893 23.00 216.0
Baluchistan 347,190 6,565,885 4.96 18.9
Islamabad 906 805,235 0.61 888.8

Source: http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/tables/AREA%20POPULATION%20DENSITY%20
AND%20URBAN%20RURAL%20PROPORTION.pdf
 E. Nazir et al.

Table 3 Urban and rural split by

Administrative unit Urban Rural
administrative units
Pakistan 32.5 67.5
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 16.9 83.1
FATA 2.7 97.3
Source: http://www.pbs.gov.
Punjab 31.3 68.7
pk/sites/default/files/
?tables/AREA%20 Sindh 48.8 51.2
POPULATION%20DENSITY% Baluchistan 23.9 76.1
?20AND%20URBAN%20 Islamabad 65.7 34.3
RURAL%20PROPORTION.pdf

Policy-making evolution in Pakistan

Pakistan is a Federal Republic of four provinces—Punjab, Sindh, Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa, and Baluchistan—and Federally Administered Tribal Areas. At the
federal level, the Ministry of Communication (MOC) is responsible for both the
policy-making and the administration of transportation. Further, each province has a
Road Transport Authority (RTA) responsible for planning, enacting, and implementing
transportation rules and regulations.
Evolution of transportation policy-making began in Pakistan in 1977 when
the Chartered Institute of Transport prepared a National Integrated Transport
Policy (Hisam 2006). The policy-making continued with the assistance of the
World Bank in 1999 and the Asian Development Bank in 2004. Recently, the
governments of Pakistan and Japan conducted a study that proposed long-term
policies (discussed later in this paper) to achieve a safe, stable, and sustainable
transport system and network in Pakistan by 2025 (Centre and Agency 2006).
The absence of a credible transportation policy and a lack of sound public
transport mechanisms were coupled with people relying on personal vehicles to
fulfill their transportation requirements. Aizaz Ahmed identified the increased
number of vehicles in Pakistan at 410 % in early 2000s due to good macro-
economic indicators (Ahmed 2007).

Persons Killed in Traffic Accidents in Provinces

3500

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0
2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13

Punjab Sindh Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Baluchistan

Fig. 1 Data Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

Road safety challenges in Pakistan: an overview

Persons Injured in Traffic Accidents

7000

6000

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0
2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13

Punjab Sindh Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Baluchistan

Fig. 2 Data Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

Methodology

In order to present a comprehensive overview for road safety in Pakistan, we relied on

analysis of past research articles published in peer reviewed journals, reports of
International Organizations like World Bank (See: World Bank 2013), Asian
Development Bank, and World Health Organization, and data of non-profit organiza-
tions. We also reviewed research studies (mentioned in references) of articles for review
of past international case studies. Besides reliance on said academic work, we have
personal exposure to urban and rural life and knowledge of road safety issues in
Pakistan. Our firsthand experience and knowledge of Pakistan’s issues helped us to
ascertain credibility of the reviewed studies. This paper differentiates from past works
as it contains impacts of war on terrorism upon Pakistan’s highways (Khan and Fatmi
2014; Choudary et al. 2009; Uddin 2008; Jafri 2013).

Literature review

Since the 1960s, the gradual deterioration of Pakistan’s transportation infrastructure has
been due to its focus away from reliance on railways as the major public and freight
transportation mode. Due to rapid motorization and urbanization in the late 1990s and
early 2000s, the deterioration crippled. Since the late 1990s, Pakistan’s road safety
issues have been highlighted in literature on road safety. Since then, different empirical,
analytical, and engineering studies have been conducted which focused on policy-
making and implementation issues, impact of motorization and urbanization, behav-
ioral and attitudinal issues, and issues related to transportation engineering. In subse-
quent sections, we attempt to limit ourselves to policy, urbanization and motorization,
and behavioral and attitudinal literature.

Policy and execution issues

Imran (2009) reviewed Pakistan’s public transport policy from its pre-independence
era. Before its independence, the British government preferred railways over road
infrastructure as the public mode of transportation. In 1947 at the time of independence,
the railway was the only transportation source for inter-city travelers. Pakistan’s
 E. Nazir et al.

Table 4 WHO (2013) Statistics about Pakistan

Population numbers for 2010 173,593,384

GNI capita for 2010 in U.S. dollars 1,050
Income level Middle
Reported number of road traffic deaths 5,192
Estimated number of road traffic deaths 30,131
95 % confidence interval 26,751–33,150
Estimated road traffic death rate per 100,000 population 17.4
Drivers/passengers death rates %
4-wheelers 16.1
2- or 3-wheelers 38.6
Cyclists 0
Pedestrians 40.9
Others or unspecified users 4.4
Estimated % seriously injured patients transported by ambulance 11–49
Training in emergency medicine available for:
Doctors Yes
Nurses No
Vital registration system exists Yes
Speed limit set at a national level Yes
Maximum speed on urban roads (km/h) 95
Maximum speed on rural roads (km/h) 65
Around schools (km/h) 40
Effectiveness of overall enforcement 3 out of 10
National drunk driving law Yes
Drink driving is defined by BAC No
National helmet law Yes
Law applies to driver and adult passenger Yes
Helmet law applies to all road types and engines Yes
There are helmet standards Yes
Effectiveness of helmet law enforcement 2 on a scale of 10
Estimated helmet wearing rate 10 %
There is a national seat belt law Yes
Seat belt law applicable to: Frontseat passengers
Effectiveness of seat belt law 3 on a scale of 10
Seat belt wearing rates (drivers) 4.0 %
There is a national child restraint law No
Legislation on mobile phone use Sub-national
Law applies to hand held phones Yes
Law applies to hands-free phone No
There is a national road safety strategy Yes
Road safety targets (fatal/nonfatal) No
Number of registered vehicles 7,853,022
Policies promote cycling No
Road safety challenges in Pakistan: an overview

railways remained as the focal transportation mode till the late 1950s. Since the 1960s,
policy-makers shifted their focus from railways to road transportation (Imran 2009).
Pakistan’s organizational structure of public transportation was then divided into road
organizations and Public Transport Authorities. Imran’s view is that the policy-makers
failed to plan public transportation due to inadequate governance structure; therefore, all
public transportation policies to run transportation through the public sector failed over
time. Resultantly, public transportation was privatized over time (Tiwari 2002). Pucher
and Korattyswaroopam (2004) consider privatization of public transportation an efficient
source to reduce government expenditure (transportation subsidies). In Kah’s (2001)
study of privatization of urban transportation in sub-Saharan Africa, private transporta-
tion fails because of the absence of significant government role in policy definition,
investment, and implementation. Imran (2009) sides with Kah (2001) and believes that
the lack of government control resulted in failed transportation policies in Pakistan.

Impact of motorization and urbanization

Through an empirical study, Batool et al. (2012) developed a schematic diagram of

Pakistan’s possible road safety issues. The issues are mainly divided into five catego-
ries: insitutional, execution, physical and operational, attitudinal and behavioral, and
accident research and data bank (Batool et al. 2012).
The majority of issues fell under the category of physical and operational Issues with
motorization and urbanization at the top. According to Pakistan’s Population Bureau of
Statistics, the urbanization growth rate surpasses overall population growth. Haider and
Badami (2011) are of the view that the poverty level in Pakistan has pushed poor
people to cities in search of employment, thereby increasing pressure on major cities’
scarce resources. Mir Shabbar Ali et al. (2010) reported in a conference held in 2010 in
Karachi Pakistant that Pakistan’s cities have unique characteristics of rapid urbaniza-
tion, high population density, mixed land use, and high usage of public and non-
motorized transport (Ali et al. 2010).
Imran and Low (2003) discussed negative externalities of rapid motorization and
urbanization in the form of increased travelling time from point-of-origin to destination
in urban cities due to congestion. Environmental and economic impacts due to air, noise
pollution, and road crashes also make an impact (Imran and Low 2003). They found that
urbanization in Pakistan is a mixture of planned and unplanned activities. According to
them, urban and transportation planning cannot be done in isolation because they are
inter-related and need to complement each other during the planning stage.
In a 2012–2013 economic survey, Pakistan’s government acknowledged that its
highway network was under strain due to rising traffic flow and the highways’ insuffi-
cient increase in capacity (Askari 2007–2008). Since late 1990s, realizing the importance
of Pakistan’s geo-strategic location and the growing needs of transportation, the govern-
ment of Pakistan has consistently improved the high- and low-density roads. Table 5
shows Pakistan’s estimated length of low- and high-density roads from 2007 to 2013.

Behavioral and attitudinal issues

The Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT) mentioned in its 2005
report that common factors in road crashes in Pakistan include irresponsible behavior,
 E. Nazir et al.

Table 5 Pakistan road density

Year Category Punjab Sindh KPK Balochistan Total

2007–08 Total 104,115 80,863 42,369 29,451 256,798

Low Type 33,864 26,301 13,781 9,579 83,525
High Type 70,251 54,562 28,588 19,872 173,273
2008–09 Total 104,114 80,863 42,369 29,452 256,798
Low Type 32,949 25,591 13,409 9,321 81,270
High Type 71,165 55,272 28,960 20,131 175,528
2009–10 Total 105,085 81,618 42,765 29,727 259,195
Low Type 32,179 24,993 13,095 9,103 79,370
High Type 72,906 56,625 29,670 20,624 179,825
2010–11 Total 105,253 80,625 42,550 29,50 228,428
Low Type 32,147 24,000 13,000 9,000 78,147
High Type 73,106 56,625 29,550 20,500 179,781
2011–12 Total 106,455 80,960 42,975 29,625 260,015
Low Type 32,590 24,335 13,140 9,125 79,190
High Type 73,865 56,625 29,835 20,500 180,825
2012–13 Total 107,805 81,385 42,980 29,655 261,825
Low Type 33,090 24,685 13,140 9,130 80,045
High Type 74,715 56,700 29,840 20,525 181,780

Source: Pakistan Economic Survey 2012–2013 (Yusufi 2012–2013)

lack of knowledge of traffic laws, inadequate police enforcement, and poor road
conditions (ASIRT 2005). Many drivers have not taken formal driving lessons or to
not possess driving licenses. Bus drivers often compete for passengers on the road;
thereby, increasing the risk of road crashes. Luby et al. (1997) and Mirza et al. (1999)
identified in their studies that bus drivers on the roads of Karachi, a metropolitan city of
Pakistan, drive recklessly and buses that comprises 1.8 % of registered vehicles are
involved in 27 % of RTIs and 43 % of fatalities (Luby et al. 1997; Mirza et al. 1999).
Ahmed (2007) also deliberates on the attitudinal issues prevailing in Pakistan. He
wrote that pedestrians do not respect zebra crossings; rather, they prefer J-walking;
motorcyclists do not wear helmets due to warm weather and a constrained side view;
and drivers tend to not fasten their seat belts. Despite the existence of Pakistan’s seat
belt law, there is dearth of its execution except on motorways where police strictly
enforce the use of seat belts. Shakeel, an Assistant Inspector General of Pakistan’s
National Highway Police, informs that the non-fastening of seat belts is the major cause
of road deaths in motor vehicle accidents. On the basis of a random sampling study, he
informs that only one percent of commercial bus drivers fasten their seat belts while
driving and only two percent of bus passengers put on their seat belts. Besides the low
ratio of seat belt fastening, he also informs that commercial van drivers falsify wearing
seat belts by simply laying their seat belts over their shoulders and not actual locking
them (Ahmed n.d.).
Batool et al. (2012) found that irrespective of socio-economic and demographic
characteristics, all drivers indulge in offences like horn blowing, tailgating, or driving
Road safety challenges in Pakistan: an overview

unregistered vehicles. We also noted that driving under the influence of alcohol and
drugs are also causes of errant behavior on the road.

Findings

During the literature review, we found that Pakistan faces different strategic, tactical,
and operational issues. The details of a few important issues are discussed in subse-
quent subsections. For the last couple of decades, Pakistan’s road safety issues have
been significant. Its transportation strategic issues are addressable though it may take a
longer span of time to revert the prevailing situation. During the literature review, we
also found that Pakistan’s road safety issues can be categorized differently. They can be
categorized into Strategic, Tactical, and Operational levels. It does not need elaboration
that the strategic, tactical, and operational issues are interrelated and that any slack in
any one of them impacts the others over time. These issues can also be explored under
both proactive and reactive approaches. In the paper’s subsections, we will only look at
the strategic issues because we believe that the resolution of strategic issues will
devolve improvement to both the tactical and operational levels. When strategic
transportation is streamlined, it will prevent inefficiencies in the system. We leave the
exploration of Pakistan’s tactical and operations issues to future researchers.
Pakistan’s strategic issues are related to policy-making; its leaders’ vision of their
country’s transportation network; Pakistan’s national economy, and the external envi-
ronment. Coincidentally, when Pakistan was at the lowest ebb of its economic state in
the late 1990s, developments in its external environment in the after math of 9/11
complicated Pakistan’s transportation and road safety.

Transportation policy–a question mark

During the literature review, we found that Pakistan does not have a comprehensive
national transportation policy at the strategic level. Although tactically the Pakistan
government provided various 5-year transportation plans, these plans were neither
coherent nor complemented each other. For example: The first 5-year plan for 1955–
1960 reflected the government’s priority towards rail transportation. In the second 5-
year plan (1960–1965), the government encouraged public transportation by invest-
ment in public buses. In the third 5-year plan (1965–1970), public transport was
deregulated and private competition was embedded into road transportation. The modal
shift from railway to road transportation is irrational as railway is an efficient mode of
transportation compared to road transportation. In a major study (Ali 1994), 489 kms
was calculated as the breakeven distance for freight transportation between rail and
road. The majority of Pakistan’s freight is transported over 489 kms from the south to
the north, thereby making railway Pakistan’s economic mode of transportation. Kalam
(1991) identified that a 3,000 HP locomotive costing Rs 30 million can move 2,000
tons; whereas, a 300 HP truck costing 3 million can only move 20 tons—that is a ten to
one cost-effectiveness ratio. Kalam is of the view that a policy shift from railways to
road transportation was based on vested interests rather than technological improve-
ment. The strategic shift from railway to road introduced heavy transport on the road
network which gradually increased over time (discussed earlier). Resultantly, Pakistan
 E. Nazir et al.

transportation infrastructure was affected on cost effectiveness, environment, and risk

scales. The roads became riskier for both motorized and non-motorized vehicles. The
heavy transport vehicles with different loads and breaking dynamics increased ineffi-
ciencies at the operational level. For example, recently, in the southern province of
Sindh, 58 people were killed in a road accident between a truck and bus (Memon 2014).

Infrastructure

In the late 1990s, Pakistan faced tough economic sanctions in the wake of the nuclear
explosions of 1998. People from rural areas, in search of employment, dwelled
temporarily or permanently in urban areas. The migration from rural to urban areas
expanded Pakistan’s major cities and transportation demands. International communi-
ties lifted economic sanctions in the aftermath of 9/11 in lieu of Pakistan’s support to
the war on terrorism. An era of economic revival began soon afterwards. The banking
sector reduced interest rates and offered leasing facilities at very attractive rates. Those
who shifted from rural areas to cities needed personal transport for commute to their
ancestral areas. This gave rise to motorization in Pakistan, which resulted in congestion
on roads and highways. Soon after the U.S. attacks on the Taliban government in
Afghanistan, Pakistan became a key regional player in providing logistics’ support to
international forces in Afghanistan. With these external and internal developments, we
say that motorization, urbanization, and the war on terrorism converged in Pakistan in
the same timeframe. The war on terrorism is relevant to this paper as it affects directly
and indirectly Pakistan’s transportation infrastructure. Pakistan is the cheapest freight
transportation route from the Indian Ocean to the International Security Assistance
Force (ISAF) bases in Afghanistan. The National Highway Authority—the agency
responsible for planning and maintenance of highways in Pakistan—planned and
executed expansion of its highways by constructing a network of motorways in the
1990s. The first motorway, M1, from Islamabad to Lahore was inaugurated in 1997.
The planning phase catered to only forecasted Pakistani traffic. The expansion planning
did not cater to the increased traffic volume that conveyed ISAF freight from Karachi to
Afghanistan. The existing highways did not sustain the enhanced traffic volume and
failed before the expiration of their stipulated lives. The war on terrorism effected
transportation in two ways. Firstly, the construction of new motorways slowed down.
Secondly, the maintenance of existing highways did not match the deterioration rate of
existing highways. As a result, the strategic planning of highway expansion to cater for
motorization and urbanization requirement failed to provide the desired results at the
operational level. According to GlobalPost, an average of 200 to 250 containers enter
into Afghanistan from Pakistan on a daily basis (Latif 2011).

Safety as a policy

Besides road accidents, there are many other reasons for deaths in Pakistan. South Asia
Terrorism Portal (www.satp.org) shows 55,000 plus people lost their lives in war on
terrorism since 2003. The details of Pakistan’s casualties are shown in Table 6. The
Pakistani Nation faces such a significant number of dead bodies that the policy-makers,
legislature, and society-at-large have become insensitive to these fatalities. Having said
that does not exempt those at the helm of policy from taking credible measures for the
Road safety challenges in Pakistan: an overview

Table 6 Fatalities in terrorist violence in Pakistan 2003–2014

Year Civilians Security force Terrorists / Total

personnel Insurgents

2003 140 24 25 189

2004 435 184 244 863
2005 430 81 137 648
2006 608 325 538 1471
2007 1522 597 1479 3598
2008 2155 654 3906 6715
2009 2324 991 8389 11704
2010 1796 469 5170 7435
2011 2738 765 2800 6303
2012 3007 732 2472 6211
2013 3001 676 1702 5379
2014 1546 505 2694 4745
Total 19702 6003 29556 55261

Source: http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/database/casualties.htm

mitigation of road fatalities’ causes. Batool et al. (2012) are of the view that policy-
makers in Pakistan place a very low value on safety and do not take responsibility to
devise long-term transportation policies integrated with safety (Batool et al. 2012).
Additionally, the government lacks initiatives to embed safety into its transportation
infrastructure. The Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT) mentioned
in its 2005 report that common causes of road crashes include drivers’ lack of
knowledge of traffic laws, regulations, education, and training (ASIRT 2005). The
report further mentioned that most of the highways are not well lit or painted for night
driving.
The World Health Organization (WHO) (2013) reported that according to Pakistan
Vehicle Regulations both front and rear seat belts are required in new and imported
vehicles but national seat belt laws do not apply to front and rear seat occupants. The
enforcement of seat belt laws on a scale from 1 to 10 is only 3. On the basis of data
obtained from Road Traffic Injury Research and Prevention Centre, Jinnah
Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, that only four percent of drivers wear seat belts
while driving. Also, the law does not mandate child restraint systems in vehicles.
According to the WHO (2013) report, the national helmet law is applicable to both
driver and passenger on all types of roads and engines. Its enforcement is only 2 on a
scale of 1 to 10. Only 10 % of motorcycle riders wear helmets while riding motorcycles.
These statistics indicate that execution of available regulations at the operational
level is not proactive. Based on their interviews with experts, Batool et al. say that
experts in Pakistan are of the view that safety research in Pakistan is reactionary in
nature. There is no specific allocation of any department to carry out a sustained safety
audit of current and upcoming projects. Past studies also show that Pakistan does not
have a clear strategic direction because it is dependent on foreign funding for the
execution of projects. The foreign donors are so strong that they dictate their terms and
 E. Nazir et al.

conditions of implementation, which mainly focus on engineering rather than safety

(Imran and Low 2005).

Conclusion and implications

The main cause of Pakistan’s road safety issues lies in the flawed strategic vision of its
leadership. The policy shift from railways to roadways in the early 1970s resulted in
gradual and systematic degradation of the country’s transportation infrastructure.
According to Kalam (1991), the policy shift was based on vested interest of the road
transport mafia. The mafia remained so strong in Pakistan that it never let the
government revise its policy in favor of railways. The inefficient railway system shifted
commuters’ preferences to road transportation for inter- as well as intra-city travelling.
Peoples’ preferences to road transportation resulted in congestion on roads, thereby
increasing threat to public lives. The deaths on roads can be effectively curtailed by
changing strategic direction, splitting the freight transportation from road to railways,
and interconnecting different modes of transportation. The strategic planners of
Pakistan need to revive railways as the major transportation mode for freight and
people. The shift from road transportation to railways will depressurize roads and split
the traffic volume, which will help improve safety on Pakistan’s roads.
The implications of a policy shift from railways to roadways would have been much
less had policy-makers strategically employed enough resources to build a massive
road transportation infrastructure. Such kinds of measures were difficult as Pakistan’s
economy was subject to tough economic sanctions in the wake of its nuclear explosions
in 1998. Despite all odds, Pakistan continued its efforts to match the demand. The lack
of strategic vision, however, was evident when the first motorway (M1) was planned
and built between Lahore and Islamabad. The revenue-generation dynamics of this
motorway would have been different had it been constructed in the south, beginning
from the port city of Karachi.
The developments in Pakistan’s external environment further complicated road
safety issues. War on terrorism in Pakistan amplified traffic volume on Pakistan’s
already congested highways. The government lacked resources to maintain its already
dilapidated transportation infrastructure. The increased traffic from heavy vehicles
conveying cargo and fuel to Afghanistan taxed Pakistan’s worsening road conditions.
This heavy traffic not only crippled the road conditions, but also posed serious danger
to common user passenger vehicles. The developments in the external environment not
only increased traffic going to Afghanistan, but as the economic sanctions in lieu of
Pakistan’s support to the war on terrorism were lifted, vehicle registration increased in
local cities and economic wellbeing improved. To encourage investment into the
economy, the government reduced interest rates which facilitated provisioning of
personal vehicles on easy installments. The increase in motorization—especially two-
and three-wheeler vehicles—proved to be hazardous to road users. The extensive
motorization resulted in more casualties, congestion, and environmental degradation.
Pakistan’s low literacy rate and lack of awareness of rules, regulations, and safety
knowledge amongst drivers and pedestrians complicate road safety. The drivers on
Pakistan’s roads fail to fully appreciate the value of human life and the socio-economic
impacts on the victims’ families. There is no legal requirement of any educational
Road safety challenges in Pakistan: an overview

qualification, training, and skill level for drivers to acquire driving licenses of heavy
vehicles. People get driver’s licenses without much effort by taking a simple behind-
the-wheel test. The ease of acquiring licenses poses potential hazards towards road
rage. The deaths’ proportion on Pakistan’s roads can be significantly reduced, but it
may take a long time before new policies help improve literacy, awareness, and the
skills of road users.
The economic development of almost every country is dependent upon intercon-
nection of its markets with its transportation facilities. Pakistan is strategically located
at a geographic junction where it can tap economic activity through a sound transpor-
tation network between its south and north sections. The economic activity will not
only increase employment resources, but will also help reduce social differences
between urban and rural areas. This will reduce migration towards urban cities and
increase equilibration of social well-being and reduce deaths on roads due to more
limited transportation demand.

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